Electricity Bills & the "competitive market"

[meleader2]

I've been living on my own for 5 years. In those 5 years my electric bill has never been over 100$ except in certain occasions where my idiot roommates decided to leave lights on all night for weeks on end.

Anyway, the past 2 months in my new place with current g/f the bills have been over 100$. 130$ last month and 120$ this month.

We're both very concious about turning off [censored] when we leave the room.

I had a look over this bill and noticed i'm being charged in two categories:


Delivery Services

&

Supply Services





For those that don't know, delivery services is the rate at which my electricity is being delivered. So if i use 803 kWh my delivery after tax and all that jazz is $57.78

That is normal. I understand that, and should be paying that.

Now in the next section "Supply Services" reads the following:

Electricity Supply ----- .07215 x 803 kWh ---- $57.94
Tariff Surcharge 3% 1.79$
Sales Tax 4.75% 2.84$

Total: $62.57


This is just unacceptable and ridiculous. I am being charged MORE than the electricity i'm using to be SUPPLIED to me.

I called up my electric company and they explained that the supply charge is the charge used in maintenance of wires during storms, upkeep of meters, what have you.

SIXTY TWO dollars worth a month?

I explained to them that i've never been charged this before (unfortunately i do not have old bills from other places of residence) and i was countered with the "fact" that it's been this way for five years. Ludicrous.





I was told that it was an "open" and "competitive" market and that i should call around to get a different rate on the .07215 charge per kWh. So I did. the best i found is TWO TENTHS of a cent lower (.07015) i went with that supplier but i need help from OOT. i need someone to explain that i'm not the only one here with this problem and it's more widespread than this.

I cannot change electric companies, there's a company per area, and my area just happens to be this company. Also be aware that i've had this company for the whole 5 years, and my names has been on the electric bill all 5 years.


IS this normal for anyone else?


cliffs notes: my electric company is trying to screw me over with a supply rate charge and i have no means to get around it.

[daryn]

yeah they're really trying to "screw you over"

[AquaSwing]

You could always opt to not have electricity.

[Borodog]

Congrats on discovering that you have to get your electricity from a government granted and protected monopoly. That's not competition, and that's not the market.

There are in fact tons of towns all across the nation where no utility monopolies were granted, and multiple power companies still compete with each other (and not Company A has the west side and Company B the east; both companies compete for the whole town). Unsurprisingly service is much better and costs are much lower in those towns (despite the pro-government-monopoly crowd telling you that it's impossible).

Direct Utility Competition: The Natural Monopoly Myth, Primeaux.

[meleader2]

[ QUOTE ]
Congrats on discovering that you have to get your electricity from a government granted and protected monopoly. That's not competition, and that's not the market.

There are in fact tons of towns all across the nation where no utility monopolies were granted, and multiple power companies still compete with each other (and not Company A has the west side and Company B the east; both companies compete for the whole town). Unsurprisingly service is much better and costs are much lower in those towns (despite the pro-government-monopoly crowd telling you that it's impossible).

Direct Utility Competition: The Natural Monopoly Myth, Primeaux.

[/ QUOTE ]


i am not allowed to choose whoever i want though. i was told by company b that i must take company a's delivery service, but may choose to take company b's supply service over company a's.

i was given a list online to look over different company's rates for supplier's charges, i think it is somewhere around 15 different companies.


thx for that info though i'll have to look it over.

[Swiitch]

[Happenstance]

What state are you in? Some states have deregulated the retail side of the electric market, but transmission and distribution remain regulated.

[meleader2]

[ QUOTE ]
What state are you in? Some states have deregulated the retail side of the electric market, but transmission and distribution remain regulated.

[/ QUOTE ]

buffalo ny, in the city

[Nicholasp27]

i have similiar situation with gas bill here in atlanta

i only have heat/fireplace/outside lamp on gas...in spring/summer/fall when no heat used, it costs $60 just to run the lamp due to the basic charges that u get even if u don't use 1 therm of gas...so i have to have them disconnect it every March and then reconnect it in November...and it costs $50 to reconnect as well...

so i can choose from like 10 diff providers, but they all use atlanta gas light's pipes, which is where the high bill comes into play

[cobrakai111]

Slightly off topic but still on subject of electricy bills.

I bought a studio over a year and a half ago and have yet to receive an electricity bill. I did register my place and whatever else you are supposed to do when move into a new place. If they ever find out that I've been receiving "free" electricity all this time can they bill me for everything at once? What's my play here, just keep the status quo and hope they never track me down?